A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, has been shot dead in the Bronx, New York, while heading to school, with his grieving father alleging that persistent bullying by a classmate may have contributed to the incident.
Frimpong was shot in the stomach near East 171st Street and Third Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, just a short distance from his home, according to law enforcement officials.
Police officers who responded to the scene found the teenager conscious with a gunshot wound and rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, as investigators are yet to establish whether the teenager was deliberately targeted. No arrests had been announced as of the latest report.
Surveillance footage from the Claremont neighbourhood reportedly showed a teenager running away from another person dressed in black. The individual pursuing him later stopped and turned back, while the victim was subsequently seen collapsing in the distance.
A witness recounted seeing the teenager running past her bedroom window shortly before hearing gunshots.
“I see the young boy run past my bedroom window, but I didn’t know he had got shot. And there was another guy on the fire hydrant, and when he heard the gunfire, he ran too,” the witness said.
Law enforcement sources also disclosed that as many as three suspects were seen fleeing the scene.
Meanwhile, Frimpong’s father, Thomas Frimpong, told NBC New York that his son had previously complained about being bullied by a classmate and had reported the matter to school authorities.
“He has been telling the principal, he’s been telling the boy is disturbing him,” the father said.
Describing his son as a quiet and dedicated student, Thomas said the teenager attended school regularly and had never been known for causing trouble.
“The school can testify my son is always quiet. Always,” he said.
The father further disclosed that Javits moved from Ghana to the United States in 2025 to join him and that he learnt about the shooting after the school principal contacted him.
Although Thomas suspects that bullying may have played a role in his son’s death, police have not established a motive or confirmed any connection between the reported harassment and the fatal shooting.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a reported decline in gun violence in the neighbourhood. Figures indicated that shootings had dropped by 37 per cent in 2026 compared with 2025, while murders declined by 44 per cent.
Police investigations were ongoing, with authorities yet to identify the suspects or announce any arrests.
